Blue, Lisa, and Georgia on her pony Star, holding Holly. Photo by Debby Heard www.debbyheard.co.nz

Who are we at Coleraine Horses?

Well, we are Lisa and Stuart (generally know as Blue) Clark, our young daughter Georgia and family jack russell, Holly. We have both been very involved with horses since our early years and I can't really imagine life without horses in the paddock!

Blue's father and grandfather were farmers and fine horsemen, both serving in the Calvary in the army in World War 2 and 1 respectively. So there was always a horse in Blue's childhood. One of his earliest memories of riding is being "blooded" at his first hunt at the great age of 4 years old!

He rode at pony club and shows before he headed off mustering and working on farms and stations.

Blue mustering cattle on Molesworth Station in 1976.

He has been very fortunate to have mustered on much of the South Island's most spectacular high country on stations such as the mighty Molesworth Station near Hanmer Springs, Mount Nicholas Station and Walter Peak Station in Southland and Lake Coleridge Station in the Southern Alps.

Horses were an integral part of life on these stations, which involved long days in the saddle mustering stock and breaking in and educating the young station-bred horses.

A move to dairy farming has seen Blue become very involved over the last 20 years in the pony club movement through instructing, cross-country building and as a technical delegate at one-day events.

I was not as fortunate as Blue, in that I came from a decidedly "unhorsey" and non farming family! However, such was my passion for horses (thanks to that Irish grandfather I unfortunately do not remember) that eventually, after many years of pestering my parents, I was given the opportunity to learn to ride at the age of eight.

This passion has never waned and I was very fortunate that my "unhorsey" parents were supportive, enabling me to own and compete on my own horses. Being very much self-taught, much of my early riding years were spent practically living on my pony, tearing around the countryside with my best friend and her pony, having loads of fun.

Pony club and competing soon followed. Living in quite an isolated area, I never really specialised in any one discipline, but competed in showing, showjumping, hunter jumping and horse trials, often all in the one weekend!

Lisa on Binty in 1987.

Hence a very versatile horse was needed! The versatility that my station-bred hack Binty (who I competed on in the 1980s), had, coupled with his outstanding temperament, started our passion for the Irish draught and Irish sport horses.

I have also over the years been very involved with the pony club movement, instructing and training eventing teams.

Georgia on her pony Star at the NZ Grand National Horse and Pony Show in February 2003. They achieved a very creditable Top 6 placing in the NZ Grand National First Year Ridden Pony Championship at their first major show together.

So given our backgrounds, it was not surprising that our daughter Georgia, born in 1995, is already a keen young horsewoman.

Even the fact that she has spent much of her very early life at shows and pony club hasn't dampened her enthusiasm, but added to it.

Her first pony arrived for her second birthday and Georgia is now quite an accomplished wee rider with a string of achievements in the show ring behind her already. Georgia is enjoying pony club now, has recently gained her "D" certificate and is looking forward to learning to jump on her pony Star.

Our first homebred Irish sport horse was Woodlea Ballyhap (by Laughton's Legend out of a Battle-Waggon mare) born in 1991. He was very successful for us in-hand, and went on to compete successfully under saddle for us ridden by Ross Smith. We exported him to the USA in 1999 as a showjumper.

Woodlea Ballyhap as a four-year-old at his first show under saddle, where he won Champion Saddle Hunter.

Ballyhap just recently won a $15,000 Grand Prix jumping event in the USA.

Dairy farming commitments on the West Coast prevented us from carrying out any further breeding until 1999 when we sent a mare to the newly imported Irish Draught stallion Coalman's Touch. Around the same time we sold our dairy farm and moved to Oxford and set up Coleraine Sport Horses, fulfilling a lifetime dream. The "Coleraine" prefix came about from research into Lisa's Irish grandfather.

Coleraine in Ireland was where he farmed before immigrating to New Zealand.